Will Ormond Beach native win a rose on The Bachelor?

Before Ormond Beach native Jackie Parr left to be a contestant on the 17th season of The Bachelor, her father gave her two pieces of advice: Don't drink too much and don't cry.

LACEY MCLAUGHLINSTAFF WRITER

Before Ormond Beach native Jackie Parr left to be a contestant on the 17th season of The Bachelor, her father gave her two pieces of advice: Don't drink too much and don't cry. The 25-year-old makeup consultant said it was the latter part of her fathers advice that proved most difficult. "It might be a television show but the emotions are really there," Parr said. Parr is one of 26 contestants trying to win the heart of bachelor Sean Lowe during the next season of the reality series, which premiers Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC. Parr got a call from producers after she sent an audition tape to the studio. Parr said her sisters helped her make the video after she broke up with her boyfriend. Parr said she was just trying to have fun and cheer herself up. "We weren't really taking it seriously," Parr said. "I had a crush on the guy who was on the show. That's why we made the video."Parr flew to Los Angeles for an extensive audition and background check for the show. When she got a call in September from producers informing her she had been selected, Parr had less than two weeks to get ready. She took a leave of absence from her job at MAC Cosmetics in Boca Raton for an anticipated nine weeks of filming. Like the other contestants, Parr was responsible for her own wardrobe and makeup. Luckily Parr had the makeup part covered. The Father Lopez High School graduate attended cosmetology school at Daytona State College. Parr took her makeup tools to the show and helped the other contestants get ready for dates. "I got them get ready to go out on a date with my boyfriend," Parr joked. While on set for the show, Parr's mother, Dawn Parr, said contestants are not allowed to have cellphones or any contact with the outside world. That was the hardest part for her because she wasn't able to call her daughter on her birthday. "I'm used to calling her whenever I want to talk to her so it was hard not being able to talk for a long period of time," Dawn Parr said. But it was the seclusion that helped the contestants form deep bonds, Jackie Parr said. "This brings out the best of people and the worst of people," she said. "You are spending 70 percent of your time with these girls and if you don't try to make friends you are going to be miserable." Parr isn't allowed to divulge the details of what happens on the show but she said it was it was an overall positive experience. Parr and her family plan on watching the premier together Monday night. They have even designed T-shirts for the occasion with the words Team Jackie. "It was nice having time to focus on yourself and what you want in life," Parr said. "It's an amazing journey and you get so close with the other girls. They become your best friends."

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